GUIDE TO GOOD SEATS AT THE LYRIC THEATRE

How many times have you gone to the theatre and the seats are so far away you need binoculars, or you’re seated at such a weird angle, you can only see the performers’ profile? To me, this is a waste of money and I’d prefer to not go at all then sit in a seat with poor visibility.

Booking expensive tickets can make people feel a little anxious, especially if a lot of the seats are already taken. I prefer to book seats for opening or closing night. However, if the remaining seats aren’t in prime viewing positions, I have an inner battle about whether I should book seats for a different date, or not go at all.

The problem is, you never really know what the good seats are until you’ve been to the venue. So, if you’re not familiar with QPAC’s Lyric theatre, here’s a guide to choosing seats:

Stall

The stall seats are the main auditorium seats. These are the ones that are close to the stage and have the most rows. As a rule of thumb in most theatre auditoriums, you should carefully consider your purchase if the only available seats are from the 18th row and back. At the Lyric Theatre, this translates to row N. Any row behind this is too far from the action.

The middle of rows five and six are my favourite because you can see everything on the stage yet still clearly see performers’ facial expressions.

Balcony 1

The first balcony at the Lyric Theatre offers great viewing in any of the seats from rows A—J. The middle seats in rows K and L are also great, but sit anywhere behind these rows and you might feel far removed from the show.

Balcony 2

The top platform is really high and great for viewing ensemble shows with lots of dancing. However, make sure you take binoculars if your seats are behind the first row (row J).